Clan Of The Mystic Confederacy

John Murrell caput of Clan of the Mystic Confederacy

Predating the multitude of the monetary as well as political conspiracies fomented later on inwards the nineteenth century past times such organizations every bit the Knights of the White Camellia as well as the Ku Klux Klan was the Clan of the Mystic Confederacy, created as well as organized inwards 1832. The Confederacy, every bit it became known inwards 1834, was composed of outlaws, gangsters, as well as gamblers, located inwards Arkansas as well as known every bit confederates.

The men were from 13 states, all due south of the Mason-Dixon trouble as well as transienters who traveled from house to place. This gang was governed past times a Grand Council that was made upwardly of “100 senior outlaws as well as an solid soil forces of 1500 ‘striker’ as well as ‘undercover agents’ who worked amidst the slaves”.

The grouping was headed past times John Murrell (a.k.a. “Murrel” as well as “Murel”), a convicted slave trader as well as Equus caballus thief, originally from Tennessee. The clan’s finish was to gain political ability inwards cities along the Mississippi as well as Ohio Rivers and, of course, to obtain wealth inwards the process.

The Confederacy conspired to hit these ends past times stealing slaves, belongings them, as well as labeling them every bit runaways; as well as and thence selling them as well as keeping the coin for the spread as well as performance of the clan.


If a confederate could respect out nearly a detail disappearance for which a vantage was offered, the confederate would inform the possessor that he had constitute the slave, claim the reward, simply as well as thence sell the slave to somebody else. Eventually, next an informer’s testimony to the law inwards 1835, Murrell himself was arrested.

While he was jailed, Murrell decided to promulgate soundless roughly other conspiracy to incite a revolt that would conduct hold house on Christmas Day 1835. (The engagement would later on hold upwardly changed to iv July 1836.) This revolt would demand slaves as well as 2,000 of Murrell’s men.

The revolutionaries planned starting fourth dimension to kill the slave masters as well as and thence to proceed the assault inwards neighboring towns, recruiting other slaves to the revolt along the way. The aim was for the Confederacy to conduct hold over the governments of such cities every bit Natchez, Mississippi. One of the incentives for the slaves was each human being would hold upwardly able to selection out a white adult woman for himself.

The conspiracy was discovered, however, as well as roughly of those responsible confessed as well as told of their roles non solely inwards the conspiracy, simply inwards the Mystic Confederacy itself. Some of those defendant of participating inwards the conspiracy were hanged, owing to circumstantial show or guilt past times association.

As the planned revolt collapsed, cities as well as towns aware of the conspiracy informed the participants, peculiarly gamblers, that they had solar daytime to go out the area, or else endure the consequences. With Murrell inwards prison, he did non conduct hold plenty ability to proceed either his conspiracies or the Mystic Confederacy, as well as upon his liberate from prison, the Confederacy disbanded.